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No Online Streaming for Gossip Girl: Yay or Boo?

Fri, 04/18/2008 - 10:29am by BuzzSugar
3,601 Views - 41 comments


Despite being one of the most buzzed-about shows of the season, Gossip Girl has never gotten great ratings. The conventional wisdom has been that the show's young, tech-savvy audience is simply watching the shows online rather than on TV. Now, the CW apparently wants to see just how true that is. The network has decided not to stream the final five episodes of the season. (Older episodes will still be available, and the show can still be purchased at iTunes.) As a CW representative told the New York Times, the idea is to see whether this "moves the needle" of the ratings at all.

So: good move or bad move? Do you think the show is wise to try and force people to watch on TV? Or did the CW just take away the primary way you watch Gossip Girl?

Photo courtesy of The CW


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41 Comments Add a Comment

  • LuciLu's picture
    LuciLu
    1

    i always watch it on tv, or DVR it. i think its a smart move to try out... we'll see how it goes though!

    16 weeks 59 min ago Report Comment
  • bethany0403's picture
    bethany0403
    2

    I love Gossip Girl, but I will be really salty if they make Chuck gay! He and Blair make such a steamy couple. Unfortunately, I bet it is going to be Chuck. Curses!

    16 weeks 52 min ago Report Comment
  • Taadie's picture
    Taadie
    3

    That sounds like a smart idea. As long as its not permanent.

    16 weeks 44 min ago Report Comment
  • Dbtabm's picture
    Dbtabm
    4

    My poor friend who moved to the UK will be devastated. That was how she could get her GG fix.

    16 weeks 20 min ago Report Comment
  • CaterpillarGirl's picture
    CaterpillarGirl
    5

    Or it could be that the show is vacuous and stupid and not many people are watching it.....

    16 weeks 13 min ago Report Comment
  • Stef522's picture
    Stef522
    6

    Not sure if that's smart....but I understand they would prefer people watch it on television!

    16 weeks 11 min ago Report Comment
  • mlmoreno47's picture
    mlmoreno47
    8

    Advertisers make more money if they show it on tv. I don't watch tv online though. I can't wait for this show to come back and now on the same night as One Tree Hill!!! Double Whammy Monday!!

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • em113's picture
    em113
    9

    i never watched gossip girl on the cw website, but i've always watched it online...this isn't going to stop anyone.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • jessugar's picture
    jessugar
    10

    i don't think they'll make chuck gay; i think it will be eric. they're onto the whole blair/chuck chemistry thing. they picked that up super quick.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • jessugar's picture
    jessugar
    11

    i should have say that my last comment was directed to bethany! oops Sticking out tongue

    i also think it makes sense for them to only show the episodes on television. but i doubt i'll watch them.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • MindayH's picture
    MindayH
    13

    I guess that means that I will have to watch when I can, I think that it is a bad idea for the CW, if people want to watch online, they will watch on illegal pirated sides. What a dumb decision.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • kia's picture
    kia
    14

    I'm an online watcher. We don't have a TV or cable, actually don't watch too many things... but Gossip Girl is my guilty pleasure!

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • shafiii's picture
    shafiii
    15

    i have a dvr so i'll be recording it since the time its on isn't good for me. i would really like the option of watching it online though, it would be more convenient

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • freegracefrom's picture
    freegracefrom
    16

    I'm with em113. Ahem. I don't have television, so I have to watch my shows online.

    Why can't they count online viewers with the ratings? I noticed that MTV had somehow kept track of how many people watched 'The Hills' online the next day after the show came back.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • jasmint's picture
    jasmint
    17

    Seeing as how this'll be on the same time as How I Met Your Mother and/or Heroes (in the fall), I don't think I can catch it when it airs on TV. Maybe I will if they continue to do repeats on Sunday nights like before, but otherwise I've got higher television-watching priorities.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • alysun's picture
    alysun
    18

    I have DVR so I don't care. I know this will bother my friends though because they are not always able to catch the episodes so they watch them online

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • aquanteal22's picture
    aquanteal22
    19

    We have four people fighting for one TV, so I survived by online screening. Since this is one of the only shows I watch on TV, I might buy the season from iTunes. I think it's a risky move for CW; MindayH had it right: people who watch it online will find it online.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • xrockette19x's picture
    xrockette19x
    20

    is it bad that this makes me way anxious? I will watch GG on tv if i'm home, but I'm not going to rearrange my calendar for it! I like having the option of watching what I missed online, this really bums me out, as I think I will totally end up missing episodes. Ugh. Maybe they'll put them online once the season is over??? Does GG air as reruns? I am too invested in this show.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • coachluvr33's picture
    coachluvr33
    21

    I don't think Chuck is going to be gay. I think it is going to be Serena's brother. I don't usually watch this when it is on t.v. I DVR it and watch it when my daughter isn't around or in bed because it can get a little racy. DVR hurts ratings too, I think, but I actually don't watch any shows when they are on. We DVR everything and watch at our convenience.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • avettafawna's picture
    avettafawna
    22

    I also think this is a risky move. Lots of people (like myself) only watch GG online b/c they are busy while it airs. Having the episodes available online keeps those viewers interested and engaged in the drama, but if the CW takes that away then those viewers who can't watch it during its scheduled time (or DVR it) may forget about the show & move on.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • lmf8899's picture
    lmf8899
    23

    being a college student I don't have a tv nor access to a tv every week!

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • snowbunny11's picture
    snowbunny11
    24

    I don't even have cable....tv is like strictly for movies for me. I watch cable at the gym (completely mindless shows on bravo, etc) and I watch shows like Gossip Girls online. I guess I'll have to stop watching it on the CW website and get it elsewhere...

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • i am awesomeness's picture
    i am awesomeness
    25

    I think that it will take more viewers away from Gossip Girl. like my best friend: she works nights a lot so she watches Gossip Girl online the next day or whenever she's free and she's a huge fan. This will not be a good thing.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • ptotheenguin's picture
    ptotheenguin
    27

    Eh. My guess is that the people who watch it online are doing so because they can't watch it on TV due to the time, etc. I don't think they'll get more viewers, I think they'll get more people turning to other online sources.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • MissLuluP's picture
    MissLuluP
    28

    That sucks, I´m living in Germany and the only way to watch this show, like the other shows, is online...

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • gomelalolo's picture
    gomelalolo
    29

    omg this is horrible i have a test the next day...so i guess studying break will be at gossip girl time

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • demeter's picture
    demeter
    30

    Josh asked at Paley center who watched online and he's like 'That's your audience right there'. I think it's a smart decision. I always watch on tv anyway, and at least this will get the show better ratings. TV ratings keep it around guys, remember this. It's not just buzz about the show.

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • divapupgirl's picture
    divapupgirl
    31

    wahh. it's really unfair for those of us in dorms- it's hard when 60 girls share one tv and can't watch between 8-10

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • pharm_chick's picture
    pharm_chick
    32

    im not a big fan of this show since i never really saw it (georgeous cast though) but my little sis does, and i know she watches most of the episodes online when my dads not around, so in this way that can be prevented.. lol

    15 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • fasttalkingdame's picture
    fasttalkingdame
    34

    According to my understanding of the way the ratings-gathering system works, it's never going to fully account for college students and young adults (such as myself, who would never miss "Gossip Girl") who don't have landline phone numbers and who don't have established addresses that they might get Neilsen phone calls or mail surveys from. It seems to me that online views are a much *better* way to gauge ratings, because you can actually measure how many people watch it rather than take an inaccurate sample. However, I suppose they make more money off of TV advertisements than they do online ones, so they want to encourage as much on-air watching as possible.

    15 weeks 5 days ago Report Comment
  • thoroughlymodern's picture
    thoroughlymodern
    36

    Looks like I won't be watching it, then. I'm pretty angry about this. They don't have Top Model online either, which just plain confused me. I need to watch GG at my liesure, but it's not a priority show for me and I simply don't have room on my DVR to let it hang around on there.

    15 weeks 4 days ago Report Comment
  • Cherylish's picture
    Cherylish
    37

    I usually watch it live, but if I can't for some reason it sucks that it won't be available online for free!

    15 weeks 4 days ago Report Comment
  • summern78's picture
    summern78
    38

    I love the show and watch it mostly on TV but online was a great way for me to catch the ones I miss since I haven't moved into the world of DVR yet! I'm planning to soon....If Chuck ends up gay, then something is wrong. Maybe it would be Nate??? He keeps putting off Blair....hmmmmm

    15 weeks 3 days ago Report Comment
  • allthingsgrow's picture
    allthingsgrow
    39

    *hisses* I don't have cable because I'm living in the dorms! How am I supposed to watch it now?

    15 weeks 3 days ago Report Comment
  • DCStar's picture
    DCStar
    40

    I don't own a tv! This is how I watched the show. Boo - hiss boo!

    15 weeks 3 days ago Report Comment
  • kcwebgirl's picture
    kcwebgirl
    41

    this is my new fav show and i appreciate being able to watch during lunch on my fabulous crystal clear power mac lcd screen. i watch it at night on tv but always rewatch shows online when i'm bored. it sucks that they cut out that option!

    15 weeks 1 day ago Report Comment

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